Justin Magnaye drives with an impressively soulful RnB vocal on top of a lightly funky, trip-hop-style beat for this single All Time Low. Fresh from the album Closure, the song sees Magnaye collaborate with Lukæs and Luke Basham to offer up something that moves along smoothly but also works hard to hold tight to your interest.
The vibe on this track brings through a sort of partly organic and partly electro-pop mood. That organic side appears more so on the rest of the album, but the guitar sound and even the notably raw and honest vocal performances help give this song a sense of realness. There’s also plenty of space involved – there’s always value in not needing to fill out every moment with riffs and effects and volume. Your focus is on the voices, on the flow of that opening melody and later on the rhythm of the rap deliveries. The contrast between the two works well to build dynamic and keep you entertained, but at the same time every artist involved stays true to the central groove and emotion of the track.
It takes perhaps a second and third listen to take on the lyrics to a greater degree. The first run-through lets you get lost in the swing of the beat, and it makes certain you take that hook melody – those three words – away with you when the track is over. The next time you return though, there’s familiarity in the movement of the vocal, so the words sink in a little more intentionally, and this is where you start to grasp a more intricate and personal view of the artist. This continues throughout the album, so the audience gets to feel a real connection with Magnaye and his creative writing style. An enjoyable playlist, well worth exploring.
Find & follow Justin Magnaye on Twitter & Instagram or visit his Website. Photo by Erika Harris & featuring Taryn Kolas.
